Another terrorist attack in Pakistan aimed at the Shia community killed at least 45 people in Karachi. The terrorist attack took place in a mainly Shia neighborhood and like usual Sunni Islamists care little about who they slaughter. Ironically, it is clear that Shia Muslims have greater safety and freedom in mainly Hindu India, despite the negative overtones often displayed within the Pakistan government towards this country.

In the minds of Islamists it is clear that Shia Muslims and other sects like the Ahmadiyya are deemed to be “infidels.” At the same time, non-Muslims face enormous institutional discrimination. For example, raped Christian and Hindu women often get very little justice in the courts of Pakistan. Likewise, you have enormous discrimination within the working environment and clearly Pakistan doesn’t appear to be a loving home for many nationals who reside in this country. This reality applies to state institutional discrimination and the Islamist angle whereby killing in the name of Allah is all too frequent – despite God never sanctioning these evil crimes.

Afghanistan is also alarmed by the reality of modern day Pakistan because just like Turkey is “a dagger at the heart of Syria,” whereby terrorists have a free hand; then Afghanistan feels the same towards Pakistan. Within all the madness and confusion of Pakistan you have many soldiers from this nation involved in fighting against Islamists in certain areas of this country. However, at the same time you appear to have a lot of collusion within certain channels in Pakistan which are working in tandem with Islamist forces. This murky reality mirrors the role of the United Kingdom and United States which are fighting against Islamists in some nations; yet, in other nations, like Syria, it is clear that you have a lot of collusion going on in order to meet so-called short term goals of London and Washington.

Clearly, nations like America, the United Kingdom and Pakistan can’t just switch the Islamist clock “on” and “off.” Therefore, short term goals soon become long term nightmares and this can ironically be seen in Afghanistan. This applies to the reality that America, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom, and others, supported radical Islamism over 40 years ago. The upshot of this is that the same forces that were supported a long time ago are now enemies within the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan. Similarly, for Pakistan the terrorist angle and insurgency is now a reality within parts of this nation but unlike other nations which have openly changed sides in Afghanistan, it is clear that Pakistan is divided on this issue.

TOLO news media group reports that the National Security Council (NSC) in Afghanistan wants the ISI intelligence agency in Pakistan to be blacklisted on the grounds of supporting terrorism and the insurgency in Afghanistan. Rahmatullah Nabil, the Deputy National Security Advisor, commented about “Pakistan’s plots”against the people of Afghanistan.

He continued by stating to TOLO that “The interesting question is why is a terrorist blacklisted but the person who issues the Fatwa for them [to act] or who provides havens to them not blacklisted?”

“Against these people, organizations at a global scale should unite. People of Afghanistan and the government of Afghanistan will continue their voice of peace, but unfortunately there is not much hope from Pakistan’s side and therefore we should rely more on the inside and be more united, more mobilized, and not be deceived by them.”

Tahir Ashrafi, head of the Pakistan Ulema Council, justified suicide attacks and with this other forms of terrorism. He states that “Palestine is occupied by Israel, Kashmir by India, and Afghanistan by the US. So if Muslims don’t have the atomic bomb, they should sacrifice their lives for God.”

Sadly, this rhetoric of hatred is used by Islamist clerics in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations against Syria. In other words, it is fine to kill and slaughter because Allah demands it despite God never issuing anything. Equally alarming is the ignorance. After all, Tahir Ashrafi appears not to have noticed that Pakistan is a nuclear power and neither does he address the reality that these suicide attacks are merely killing more Muslims. Also, India and its civilization predates the nation of Pakistan by thousands of year in relation to Kashmir and clearly mainly Muslim Pakistan isn’t based on Muslim unity – after all – the Shia are being slaughtered in Pakistan and not in “mother India” which is mainly Hindu.

On Pajhwok Afghan News it was reported by Ahmad Saeedi (political commentator) that the ISI in Pakistan is behind the destabilization of Afghanistan. This news agency reports that the “Political commentator Ahmad Saeedi said Ashrafi had issued the fatwa at the behest of Pakistan’s spy service — Inter-Services Intelligence, which has long been accused of aiding the insurgency in Afghanistan.”

“A former diplomat who has served in the neighbouring country, Saeedi claimed the ISI influenced the appointment of the Pakistan Ulema Council head. Nobody could lead the body without the agency’s approval, he insisted.”

Turning back to the latest terrorist attack by Sunni Islamists in Pakistan aimed at Shia Muslims. It is known that at least 45 people in the city of Karachi were killed in cold blood. This follows on from other recent deadly terrorist attacks against the Shia community in Pakistan. Also, the terrorist attack happened just after Shia worshippers were leaving a mosque nearby.

Until Afghanistan and Pakistan can stem the militant Islamist onslaught then it appears that the blood will keep on flowing. Obviously, for a variety of Sunni Islamist factions they don’t deem the blood of the Shia to count. One can only imagine how other religious minorities feel in modern day Pakistan because terrorism, ethnic issues and institutional discrimination are all eating away at this nation. Also, it is clear that patience in Afghanistan is running out because they feel betrayed by certain forces emanating from Pakistan.

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